About Mike Mushok

Mike Mushok is the baritone-wielding lead guitarist for the American band Staind, one of the most successful rock acts of the new millennium.

Since the band’s formation in 1995, Mike Mushok has been the lead guitarist, giving the band a unique, heavy sound by his use of baritone and 7-string baritone guitars.

The first two releases paved the way for the band by securing them opening spots for established bands such as Limp Bizkit and Sevendust. That was, of course, a huge break for them, but rarely has a band’s career skyrocketed as it did following the 2001 release of their third album Break The Cycle. It was a huge international success for the band and it spent 3 weeks at number 1 position in the U.S. album charts and many weeks in the top 10 album charts of The Billboard 200 in the UK and New Zealand. It has since its release sold more than 8 million copies worldwide.

Staind has been successful ever since, having most of their albums reaching number 1 positions on the billboards. This does, however, not mean that Staind will rest on their laurels in the future. “We’ve seen too many bands come and go to ever feel like we have a sense of security,” says guitarist Mike Mushok, reflecting back on his band’s studio efforts. “With each new album, we never want to rehash what we did before, but we also don’t want the new music to be so different that it alienates our fans. We try to walk that line. As a band and musicians you want to grow and mature, not just put out another ‘It’s Been Awhile’ eight years later. You want something new that hopefully builds on that, and you want something that enables you to continue to grow as songwriters.”

Mushok explains that Staind has been able to stand the test of time because they have focused their attention on music while too many of their peers were focusing on image, fashion and trends. “You look at any band that’s had any kind of longevity, and you have to have the music,” says Mushok. “Whether you’re playing a heavy song or not, there has to be a catchy riff there.”

In the past decade, Staind have sold more than 12 million records worldwide, had four No. 1 singles, six more singles in the Top 10 and their last three albums debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Album Chart.

In march 2013, Mushok was announced as the second guitarist of the band NEWST3D, fronted by former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted.

To create his timeless catchy riffs, Mushok uses the G-Force rack in both his live rig and in the studio. Here’s what he has to say about it…

I use the G-Force both live and in the studio - it’s so versatile and really sounds amazing. The unit can do whatever I need it to. I first discovered it in the studio and came up with sounds I was unable to come up with elsewhere, which led me to incorporating the unit in my live rig. I couldn't be happier with it!

He also uses the SCF, the MojoMojo overdrive and the Flashback delay on his live pedalboard.